MS, welcome. Your question appears to indicate that you think that a bigger speaker requires more power. This isn't the case, and in the same line of speakers the bigger ones are quite often a little more sensitive and require less power than the smaller bookshelves. Depending on how loud of a listening level you use at your usual location, the 1610 may be fully sufficient for any of the Axiom floor-standers and nothing more powerful would be needed.

The reason given is misguided. The "nuances" and finer details of deep bass frequencies are in fact reproduced by the upper bass and midrange drivers in a satellite speaker.

For example, an acoustic bass used in jazz and orchestral music has a lowest frequency of about 40 Hz, and the subwoofer will reproduce that with great authority, but the "plucking" snapping sound and most of the harmonics occur in the upper bass and midrange, well above the subwoofer's range, will be handled by the satellite bookshelf speakers. In most systems you set the crossover frequency at or near 80 Hz, so bass energy above that frequency (the nuances and finer details. . .) is handled by the satellite speakers.

If a satellite speaker is very small with limited bass output below 200 Hz, then you may have a hole in the response, but Axiom's bookshelf speakers (M22, M2, M3) all have smooth output to the crossover region of 80 Hz and lower.

Using a floorstanding main speakers will often give you a "fuller" upper bass sound, which you may prefer, but in terms of realistic reproduction of big orchestral works, piano, jazz, etc in moderate-sized to smaller rooms, I find a good subwoofer like Axiom's EP350 or EP500 coupled to a pair of M22s lack nothing in terms of refinement and nuances. Larger floorstanders of course will play louder in bigger rooms and at very high volume than bookshelf speakers. Consider those factors as well.

The M50s are quite nice somewhat "laid-back" (i.e. not quite as detailed) speakers, with excellent bass and not quite as revealing treble compared to the M22s.

On AVS when they say satellite speaker, it seems to me they mean a vary small speaker, ala BOSE, ORB etc. and yes these small speakers will not sound as good as true bookshelf and floorstanding speakers like Axiom produces.

For a better matched system I would run M22/M60/M80s for the front mains and the exact same as a center if possible. If a horizontal center is required/desired then any of Axiom's center spekears will work great. I have the VP100 and 150 and there is little difference between them other than a slightly lower FR with the 150 and it also has the ability to playback a little louder for larger rooms. And to round it off the QS8s for surround channels.

Are you looking for a subwoofer as well? If so I would recommend the EP350 or higher from Axiom as the smaller subs just don't cut it for HT, IMO. They lack the driver size to really move some air for good LFE.

I am not sure, have you ever stated the room size this system will be going in?